Besieged: The Ned Kelly Story

Year: 2003
Classification: PG
Runtime: 52 min
Produced In: Australia
Directed By: Gregory Miller
Language: English

New insights into Ned Kelly and the legend surrounding him are given in this lively documentary by Gregory Miller. Partly using re-enactments, clips from many feature films about Kelly, and interviews with historians including Ian Jones, Keith McMenomy and Siobhan McHugh, and direct descendants of the Kelly family, BESIEGED offers a portrait of Kelly that is both provocative and enlightening.

To the government and wealthy landowners, Ned Kelly was an outlaw and police murderer. To the poor and struggling farmers and city folk, he was a hero. Ned Kelly was executed on 11 November 1880 but since then he has become an iconic figure in Australian history. His exploits inspire both awe and fury.

Australians are as divided today as they were 120 years ago when it comes to Ned Kelly. This film shows how Kelly consciously created his own image and how he found a ready and eager public who supported him.

Is it little wonder that he has become the folk hero and cultural icon he is today?

The rise of terrorism in our world, and on the other hand the persistence of social liberation movements and the ambiguous area between, highlights the most persistent question, "what is the right way to respond to a corrupt government, prejudice, oppression and injustice?"

This documentary traces Kelly's life; his Irish parents, his harsh and poverty stricken childhood, his crimes and struggles and the rise of the people's hero, willing to answer back to ruthless authorities.

"He loomed larger than Robin Hood for me. He was someone who was an Australian and an Irishman who stood against the forces of oppression." - Pat Dodson, Aboriginal Leader.